Travel Department to up agent focus following first year of trade sales
Harry KembleIrish tour operator Travel Department has reported “significant levels of growth” after forging links with the UK travel trade for the first time last year.
The Dublin-based company, founded in 1996, is one of the leading guided group holiday operators in the UK and Ireland and has been making moves to woo agents in recent months.
The operator first started working with Scottish agency Barrhead Travel Group, Oasis Travel in Northern Ireland and selected Aito members last year so it did not spread itself “too thinly” initially.
Now Travel Department is “strategically” working on building more agency partnerships. UK general manager Stephen Mills said: “We didn’t want our partners to be forced to compete with multiple agents all selling the same proposition.
“Our agent partners now have an exceptional holiday product, pricing and destinations available from our departure points, including Dublin in pound sterling.”
Mills continued: “We offer 100% price parity ensuring agent partners always have the best price, and we are working strategically on building our agency partnerships across the UK without compromising on the relationships we already have in place.
“We appreciate and understand the value and service travel agents offer and have already seen significant levels of growth for 2024.”
Ramsay Travel, Spear Travels and Club World Travel are among the new agencies that now offer Travel Department products. The operator provides agents with bespoke marketing and promotional materials as well as regular social media content.
Next week, Travel Department will host its first-ever fam trip when it takes four Barrhead agents to Tuscany.
Travel Department recruited former Abercrombie & Kent director of sales and business development James Coughlan as its chief executive earlier this year. Part of Coughlan’s new role focuses on delivering Travel Department’s growth plans.
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